


i'm mr. loverman, and i miss my lover man.

by fatsnape



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, True Love, except one of them dies. F., i really have to stop letting one of them die., is it really batjokes if someone doesnt die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:20:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26842759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fatsnape/pseuds/fatsnape
Summary: TRIGGER WARINING:non-descriptive self inflicted death. a character throws themselves off a roof.the two are back to their usual dance, only this time, the clown isn't nearly as excited.
Relationships: Joker (DCU)/Bruce Wayne
Kudos: 42





	i'm mr. loverman, and i miss my lover man.

**Author's Note:**

> BASICALLY i just wrote this because i kept listening to 'mr loverman', and it made me think of them. so i did this. kinda hated it until yesterday, which is why i didn't post it. but, yeah. it's pretty ooc for bruce, because i genuinely do not know how to write bruce wayne. but it's whatever. enjoy!! <33

the stars almost twinkled in the dark and gloomy sky of gotham city. they were hardly noticeable beyond the lights of the city, but if you looked close enough, they were there. 

they were on a roof, again. they always seemed to end up here. almost like a dance. a dance that no one knew the steps to, except for the last. this time, though. it wasn't a fight. there wasn't any bloodshed. the bat had simply followed the clown, and he'd led him there. 

he'd broken out of arkham, as usual. bruce wasn't truly sure why everyone just kept sending the criminals back to where they escaped from in the first place. it clearly wasn't working. they always escaped without hesitation. 

but this time, there was no heist. there was no attempt at making his presence known. there wasn't any of his usual flamboyant fanfare. it was just the two of them beneath the night sky. 

"hello bats." the clown muttered, not even bothering to turn back. bruce hadn't made his presence known, but joker knew him well enough to know when he was there. he always knew. 

"joker." was all that the bat muttered. there was no point in asking what the clown was doing up there, for he always explained, very excitedly, his entire plan to batman. bruce narrowed his eyes at joker's back, slightly. 

"you know," the clown started. batman braced himself for joker's overwhelming enthusiasm. "there's so much predictability in what we do. it's almost as if we follow a schedule. a never ending cycle." joker grumbled, his voice more broken than bruce had ever heard. if he were anyone else, he might've offered a slice of sympathy. 

"you chase me, and i run. you catch me, and i escape. sometimes! i'll chase you, and i'll catch you. but how does it end? you escape! and i get caught, and thrown in arkham. again. and again." bruce could almost hear the joker's usual comical voice behind all the despondency. 

"we need more spontaneity, darling. but we're never going to get that, are we? because, you know i can't kill you. i'll throw in a bit of pain here and there, but what would i do without you?" as the clown continued, bruce could hear him trying to hold back from breaking down.

bruce stood stoically to the side of the roof. and the joker was only getting closer to the edge. every time the clown took a step, so did he. it was only when the joker spoke again that bruce realised he expected an answer. one of the clown's eyes met his own as joker turned, an eyebrow slightly raised. 

"not in the talkative mood tonight, batsy? how unfortunate for me then. where was i—" bruce watched as the clown got lost in thought for a moment, before his eyes widened and he continued. "oh! yes. i'm / nothing / without you, darling. rather romantic, don't you think? like, two halves of a whole. and yet, you're everything, and i'm nothing." 

it was then that he heard the psychotic laugh he'd become so used to. only this time it sounded more broken, and hurt. like the joke wasn't / really / as funny as he tried to make him believe. 

bruce hadn't realised he'd gotten so close to the joker until he too, saw over the ledge of the roof. saw the streets of gotham, that usually ran with crime. no one was out. the city was utterly silent. almost as if they knew what was going on on that very roof. 

the joker steadily placed one foot on the ledge. he didn't seem to have any plans on moving the other. not yet, at least. bruce felt himself freeze slightly. he was close enough that he could grab the clown if he tried to jump. 

batman wasn't sure what the joker was up to. was this all a trick? yet another one of his jokes? were his rogues going to jump out and try to apprehend batman, yet again? and yet bruce felt that he could almost perish the thought, just by the sincerity in the clown's voice. 

"i'm... nothing." the joker repeated, his voice breaking off in the end. bruce watched intently as the clown began to shake. he wasn't sure if he was laughing or crying. at this point, both seemed equally plausible. but when he'd heard the gut-wrenching sob wrack through the joker's small frame, his stomach dropped. there was laughter here and there, but for once it was drowned out by the tears. 

joker seemed to get ahold of himself, and he raised his head to the sky slightly. the clown was admiring the stars. despite himself, batman almost felt himself smile at the sight. if it were anyone else, he's sure he would have. the joker took in a shaky sigh, and while bruce was too occupied on watching him admire the stars, he stepped onto the ledge. batman took another step, this time in a much quicker movement. 

"it's just.. not / fun / anymore, darling. it was, for so long. we truly had the best of times, didn't we?" the clown choked out, his head shaking in the slightest. his gaze was trained on the street below them. 

"joker—" batman started, but was quickly cut off by the green haired clown before him. 

"hush, bats. not now." he spat, but there was no venom in his voice. he spoke softly, and bruce could barely recognise him. 

"this... cat and mouse game. aren't you getting bored of it? you always try so hard to get me. and it's quite adorable. and the sight of you chasing me, that intent little look on your face, almost makes everything fun again. but then you get me, and off to arkham i go. and the fun ends. the fun always ends." the joker rambled, his body getting closer and closer to the edge, shaking in the slightest. 

bruce tensed at the sight, and it took everything in him not to just pull him down that very moment. but he knew that it wasn't smart. that even if he'd managed to get him down, he'd only go back up. he'd have to wait. 

"i always get away in the end, you know? no matter what. i end up outside of arkham, just waiting for the opportunity to get chased once again. so if you think about it, in this little game of ours, darling, i'm the winner. i never get caught." the clown let out a short, hollow laugh. no sense of humor in sight. 

"so guess what, batsy? you win. consider me caught." the joker announced abruptly. the next few moments passed as a blur in bruce's mind. the clown turned quickly, his green hair flying in the wind slightly. bruce took in his appearance with a slight gasp. his makeup was smudged beyond relief, and it was obvious he'd been crying since before bruce had arrived. 

there were large dark bags under his eyes, and a melancholy smile pulled across his face, so much unlike himself. his appearance had caught bruce so off-guard, that he hadn't had enough time to react to the joker's movements. 

he lunged towards the clown, as the other launched backwards, off of the roof. his hand only caught on the fabric of the clown's pants slightly. he let out a mute cry as he watched the joker fall. the bat felt all of his air leave his body in a movement quicker than he'd ever felt. he wasn't quick enough. 

the clown's eyes met his own for the last time and he watched as the joker blew him a kiss mid-air. bruce looked away a split-second after. he couldn't bare to watch the sight. 

just like he couldn't bare to watch the sight of his casket at his funeral. or his grave when he passed the cemetery. there were too many places that bruce couldn't look anymore. not without thinking of him. and bruce couldn't bare to think about him. he couldn't bare to be broken, not now. 

the joker was beaten, he was right. he was caught, finally. the batman won, once and for all. and yet a nagging, broken part of bruce bruce felt as if he'd lost more than he ever had before.

**Author's Note:**

> so yeah! leave any thoughts that you have, if you would like to <3


End file.
